BSN Exclusive: Nicolas Meloche wants to be an Av, but the Eagles will suffice for now

LOVELAND – For the Colorado Eagles, it was the last gig in front of their original die-hard fans as the indie band. Now they’re going more mainstream. They’ve sold out literally for 15 years here at the Budweiser Events Center, but can they and their fans handle it more in the figurative sense, now that they’re not a cult band anymore?

The answer to that question will start to become clearer this fall, when the Eagles transition from an ECHL franchise to one of the American Hockey League – one step below that of the NHL in North American pro hockey quality.

The Eagles on Wednesday night closed out their ECHL tenure at the Bud Center in high style, defeating the Florida Everblades 4-2 in Game 6 of the Kelly Cup Finals. Game 7 will be played Saturday in Florida. Many of the players who raised their sticks in salute to the sold-out, loud and adoring crowd afterward probably will have played their last game in Loveland, too. Many will become free agents, off to the next destination in what, for most players at this level, is a gypsy’s life.

Nicolas Meloche figures to stick around a while longer. One of five players on the current Eagles roster with contractual ties to the Avalanche, Meloche is likely to call Loveland his home again next season. Well, of course, he hopes it will be 45 minutes down I-25 South in Denver instead. 

The 40th overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft by the Avs, Meloche is eager to just maintain his standing in the organization as one of its defensive prospects with realistic hopes of a career in the NHL.

“It’s been great to be here in front of these fans and with these guys,” said Meloche, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman. “I think it’s going to make me better mentally, for next year. This was my first year in pro hockey, playing with men more, and I learned a lot.”

Meloche, who turns 21 next month, started the season playing in the AHL, with the Avs’ former affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. In 58 games, he scored five goals and 17 points and a minus-16. The Avs had an affiliation with the Eagles, so it really wasn’t a demotion for him to have been sent there. The Rampage season was winding down and some playoff experience, even at a lower level, might come in useful to his development. He played five regular-season games with Colorado, and has played a regular shift in 23 postseason games so far.

A solid offensive-production defenseman in junior with Baie-Comeau and Gatineau of the QMJHL, the francophone Meloche knows what he needs to improve upon to make the jump to the Avs:

“I need to be more gritty in the corners and be less shy, with or without the puck,” Meloche said. “The way I used to play in the Q, was more tough and gritty to play against. Being here has given me more confidence to play as tough as I am right now. I have to find a better gap and be more sticky as a (defenseman). I think it takes more time for defensemen to develop than forwards, so I think it’s been good for me to be here.”

Meloche played pretty well for the Avs in the Rookie Showcase in San Jose, then got some experience in a couple of preseason games with the Avs. A right-handed shot, Meloche will have to make it as a steady, stay-at-home type if he is to make it to the promised land.

If he develops as he hopes, he won’t need a flight from the AHL to the big club. He’ll just need an Uber.

“Colorado is so nice a place,” he said. “I definitely want to experience more of it.”